Triumph delays start of new pork plant

Triumph Foods is indefinitely delaying construction of
a pork processing plant in East Moline.

Patt Lilly, chief administrative officer of the St.
Joseph, Mo.-based Triumph Foods, said that the economy is making it impossible
to begin the project.

"The financial market and the commodity markets
have come together to make it not feasible to begin a project of this size,"
Lilly said. "The high cost of commodities has made it difficult to make a profit
from raising hogs."

Lilly was quick to add that Triumph has no plans to
close its St. Joseph plant and the company still intends to keep the site it
owns near 172nd St. North and Barstow Road.

"We intend to maintain our
ownership of that land," he said, adding that he could not give a timetable for
when Triumph might begin the East Moline plant.

Construction of the
plant was slated to begin early next year with a projected finishing date of
mid-2010.